puppy skin issues!!

[ashleybaker]

I am wondering if anyone on here can give me any advice. My puppy Addie is a little over 1 ½ spayed female brindle boxer. We got her when she was 5 months old and after only 4 months of having her she started experiencing some skin issues. We took her to the vet he said it was just puppy acne and fleas not to worry. Then about 2 months went by and we got her flea drops and the bumps on her body still didn’t go away. They had seemed to get worse. So we took her to a different vet and she said that she had a bacterial skin infection on her body, which caused the bumps (they were on her back, underbelly, hind legs, and butt). She was on antibiotics for 12 weeks and during that time period we stopped the antibiotics 5 weeks into and she got the bumps again 2 days after we stopped so we started her back on. While she was on the pills her bumps had subsided only 3-5 bumps. We took her off the antibiotics 6 weeks ago to look at other options. The bumps did come back so we decided we would see if she had a food allergy. She was on nutra nugget lamb and rice, so we eliminated corn, wheat, and chicken and put her on Blue fish and sweet potato. Her bumps stayed the same but her itching was not as bad during the first 2 weeks of fully being on Blue. The past 4 weeks have been the worst for her. She is covered in the bumps and now I have noticed that her hind feet are pink between the toes and on the underside of her paws. I have done a lot of research and cannot determine it on my own. I was thinking a contact, inhalant, or food allergy. I came up with food in the end because it was not a seasonal occurrence she has had it for 8-9 months, but also is not located in areas where there is not a lot of hair. I would love to take her to the vet but she has issues with the other dogs that are in there so I would love to figure out as much as I can to help her at home. She has been getting a bath weekly with oxydex shampoo for the past 7 months. We contacted the people we got her from because they own the mom and dad to see if they knew of any allergies, they said chicken and rice for sure. We ended up switching Addie to the same dog food her mom and dad are on which is Natures Variety Prarie New Zealand Venison and millet. I figured if it is a food allergy then since both of her parents have no reaction to this food neither would she. We are almost 100% switched over to the new food but we recently had a conflicting incident. I went on a weeklong trip and while I was gone my parents watched her and while I was gone her bumps got better. When I arrived home she only had a few on her lower hind legs and on her butt. But only 2 days after being home she is all covered again. Which makes me think its something I am putting her in contact with or giving her. I have been racking my brain for days to figure out what changed. We feed her with the same scoops, same bowl, same food, she slept in the same bed with the same blankets, and they didn’t feed her scarps like I told them not to. I cannot think of anything besides my makeup, and face wash that is different from my parents. I am going crazy because I cannot help her. I have been giving her Benadryl 25mg once a day (she is 43lbs). Has anyone experience this I have some pictures I will post but it is very hard to take a picture of the bumps.

*update- this morning and all day her bumps have been the worst I have ever seen them! no environmental things changed except that she is now 100% over to the new food, the food that both my puppies parents are on and have no issues on.

 

[Gatorblu]

Did your parents watch her at your house or theirs? If they watched her at yours then is more than likely something you are using on you. (shampoo, perfume, etc) If they watched her at their house the list gets much longer. (cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, etc.) One thing I would tell you to do in any case is change your air filter once a month. That one little change can often do a lot, tho' with your girl I'm sure you are going to need more than that. Also if your parents watched her at thier house, I would clean your house using no chemicals. My girl Star had allergies and I invested in a steam cleaner for the carpets. At least once a month I would use it.(In the fall every other week because her allergies were worse then.) I didn't use any detergents just the steam. Clean all the hard surfaces with vinegar and water. I would also use that to clean her bowls so there is no soap residue on them.

I know trying to track down the cause of allergies is frustrating. Often there is more than one so you are never sure if what you are doing is right. And food allergies take a while. Just because you switch food doesn't mean you'll see results right away, it takes time for the allergens to work there way out of her system. Good luck and hang in there!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I agree wit Gator...I will also add just because her parents do fine on a food doesn't mean she will. I'm personally allergic to cranberries and celery but neither of my parents or grandparents are. Food allergies are unto their own, can't go off of parents. You may want to get a grain free food that's limited ingredients like Natural Balance's limited ingreident diets or Wellness simple Solutions and see if that makes a difference. Or give plain chicken and rice (home cooked) and see if you get any better results. Sounds like she has itchy hives, which can be from food, a bug bite, environmental, stress, you name it. I would highly recommend you take her to a veterinary dermatologist to try and get to the bottom of it. If she has issues with other dogs call ahead to see if they can have a room ready, if they won't then a soft muzzle may be needed but at least she'd get some help. I agree that I'd ditch cleaning products for awhile. Wash her bedding in plain white vinegar (in case it's a detergent issue). Do you wear any perfumes, scented lotions, regular lotion, on a regular basis? If you change a few things and are still having issues, I'd say a veterinary dermatolgist is an order to make her more comfortable.

Having an allergy dog myself I know how stressful it can be. Hope she's able to get some relief soon (also for Benadryl you could give 1 1/2 even up to 2 of the 25mg tablets it's typically 1mg per pound. It may not be a high enough dose to help if you're only giving 1.

Good luck!